​​Roots & Wings - 2021/2022 Classes

-	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
10 to 2	Changing Seasons at the Farm ​(5-7 year olds)	Farm Fables (5-7 year olds) ** Farm and Forest ​(8-10 year olds)	Nature Connection (8-10 year olds)	Forest Friends (5-7 year olds)
9:30 to 3:30	-	Middle School Program	Middle School Program	-

MONDAY (10-2): Changing Seasons on the Farm  - Chelsea & Shiren
5-7 year olds - CURRENTLY FULL -  WAITLIST OPEN 
The Monday class will focus on seasonal changes going on at the farm throughout the year and how to search for signs of those changes. The children will explore various parts of the farm and garden in a creative and engaging way, while studying monarchs, pumpkins, sunflowers and much more! In each class, the children will begin stewarding the Freetown Farm chicken flock, by learning the basics in feeding, watering, wellness and coop upkeep.  The Monday art focus will be handcrafting. This simply means to make things with your hands! Autumn's theme will be Native Crafting with a focus on bead work, stitching, leather crafting, face/body paint, and much more! In Spring the theme will shift to Play Crafting, which will include making handmade games, puzzles, t shirts and so many other unique and fun crafts. 

TUESDAY (10-2): Farm and Forest - Dana & Shiren
8-10 year olds - CURRENTLY FULL -  WAITLIST OPEN ​
The Tuesday Farm & Forest class will explore all things Freetown Farm. This class will introduce practical principles of permaculture to support STE(A)M learning. We will understand the traditional ecological knowledge from which modern permaculture derived and learn about the livelihoods of Freetown Farm’s native stewards. We will harvest and process edibles from the land and students will engage in animal care and farm chores, strengthening their roles as land stewards themselves. Chicken stewardship will be included in each class daily. The Tuesday art focus will be handcrafting. This simply means to make things with your hands! Autumn's theme will be Native Crafting with a focus on bead work, stitching, leather crafting, face/body paint, and much more! In Spring the theme will shift to Play Crafting, which will include making handmade games, puzzles, t shirts and so many other unique and fun crafts. 

TUESDAY (10-2): Farm Fables 
5-7 year olds - CURRENTLY FULL -  WAITLIST OPEN 
This class is ONLY for younger children with a sibling in either the 8-10 class or middle program simultaneously. . 
This class will intertwine topics of storytelling with gardening. We will sample different forms of literature and writing styles and then work to compose and illustrate nature stories as a group. Various art forms will be embedded into this class including theatre, story telling, writing, drawing/painting and 3D design. Every class will include interaction and stewardship with the chickens and tending to the children's garden.

WEDNESDAY (10-2): Nature Connection - Dana & Shiren
8-10 year olds
The Wednesday Farm & Forest class will focus on connecting to place and developing deeper relations with this land we care about. We will explore how our relationship with nature can be nurturing, restorative, and support our growth. Students will practice with sit spots and other creative engagement pathways including Visual Thinking Strategies, poetry, opening/closing circles, and gratitude. Tending to our animals, plant life, and community will also be a part of this class. The Wednesday art classes will be focused on fine arts, where children will use nature and semester themes to develop their skills in detail, precision, fine motor work, color pallets and more! All while working with an array of multimedia and artistic approaches.

THURSDAY (10-2): Forest Friends - Chelsea & Shiren 
5-7 year olds - CURRENTLY FULL -  WAITLIST OPEN 
The Thursday class will explore topics within the Exploring Nature with Children curriculum including tree and pond studies, seeds, fungus, among others. Each class will include a nature walk, poem, and piece of artwork to enjoy, honoring a wide range of learning. Every class will include tending the children's garden and learning to steward the Freetown Farm chickens as far as feeding, watering, wellness and coop upkeep. The Thursday art classes will be focused on fine arts, where children will use nature and semester themes to develop their skills in detail, precision, fine motor work, color pallets and more! All while working with an array of multi media and artistic approaches. 

Middle School Program
Health & Fitness -  9:30am - The morning class will provide time to devote to particular health & fitness topics that are vital in developing a balanced mind, body and spirit. Areas of focus will include: social emotional development, physical fitness, heart rate/monitoring, agility, stretching, and body awareness & wellness. 
Social and Civic Action Project Work - 10:00am - Collaborative project work will be a significant part of this part of the program. Please note that while working on the ten week native land project and the 18 week, two part environmental project, children will be given mini lessons on communication, listening, team building, leadership, trust, brainstorming, group dynamics, constructive conversations, etc. in order to apply said skills to group work. Guest speakers will be invited to present when appropriate and when available for project work. For the second part of the Environmental Project, we will use the information we gathered during the first 9 weeks in order to develop a realistic solution to improve our impact on the environment. This may look like making one’s own soap bars in order to lessen the amount of plastic a family uses. It could be figuring out a creative & effective way to remember to turn off the lights to save electricity. Students will learn skills in the development process from brainstorming to creation and will gain a deeper understanding of how significant small changes can actually be. ​

Lunch and Free Time  - 12:00pm - There will be an hour lunch break which includes free time. Children are welcome to bring something from home they are working on to use during free time like: books, drawing/sketching, comic books, etc. or simply enjoy the farm, play in the woods, or relax. 
Artistic Expression - 1:00pm - Students will complete 3 large-scale projects over the course of the year. Project themes will be nature inspired and the final creations will be displayed around the farm or in the barn. Various mediums will be used, as well as techniques and applications. On alternate art days, students will be spending time exploring other art forms like theatre, writing, dance, music and more in preparation for a final showcase. 
Farm & Forest - 2:15pm - The afternoon will be focused on all things Freetown Farm! Learning themes will include: animal care/chores, farm & garden chores, learning about edibles and cooking with them, as well as permaculture and developing a deep connection with the land. This class will include a closing circle and gratitude. 
Dismissal - 3:30pm